Braille Formats 2011 Spelling and Grammar Using Braille

FormatsCTEBVI Workshop 101

Presented by: Amanuensis BraillePresenter: Robert Roldan

rroldan@amanuensisbraille.com

Introduction• How to apply the Braille Formats Principals of

Print-to-Braille Transcription, 2011.• What to do when what you see in print isn’t

covered in the Braille Formats guidelines?• Braille examples using the new formats

guidelines.

When Do I Use Spelling Formats• 17.1.1 Spelling texts include a variety of teaching methods, e.g.,

emphasis of certain letters, omission of letters, scrambled letters, deliberate misspellings, etc., to reinforce the proper spelling of a word. This section applies only to these types of situations, in which the spelling or the formation of the word is the most important consideration.– Freestanding letter combinations and portions of words must be written in

uncontracted braille and the contractions for to, into, and by must not precede them.

– When a text refers to the spelling of a word, that word must be written in uncontracted braille.

– If the text calls attention to a specific letter or a letter combination within a word by direct reference or by use of a special typeface or enclosure signs, that word must be written in uncontracted braille.

– If an exercise tells you to place punctuation in the proper location of a word, that word must be written uncontracted to avoid giving away the answer.

Spelling Word List• Word lists, appearing typically at the beginning of

chapters or lessons that are intended to teach how each word is spelled.– Font attributes used for entire spelling word lists are

ignored.– Spelling words are listed vertically in 1-3.– The first writing of the spelling word or phrase is

contracted.– Words and phrases with contractions are repeated in

uncontracted braille.– Each contracted word is separated from its respelling by

one blank space. When the spelling word is a phrase, the uncontracted respelling is preceded by two blank spaces.

Example

Spelling Word List with Partial Emphasis

• Word lists may focus on certain aspects of spelling by use of partial emphasis.– Use italics for all forms of emphasis.– Each word is contracted, uncontracted, and

uncontracted with partial emphasis.– The termination indicator (6, 3) is inserted to indicate

the end of the italics in a partially-emphasized word.– One space separates each spelling of single

words. Two spaces separate each spelling of phrases.– All words are listed vertically in 1-3.

Example

Omitted Word Parts or Letters• Use the double dash to represent omitted word parts.• Do not use contractions or letter signs for letters

attached to the double dash.• Do not use the contraction for to, into, or by before

word parts.• Substitute an equivalent number of unspaced dot 3s

when symbols (dots, asterisk, etc.) indicate a specific number of missing letters.– Add a transcriber’s note to explain the use of dot 3’s.

• Use hyphens when shown in print or the text indicates how many letters.

Examples

Example cont.

Intentional Marked or Unmarked Errors

• When print calls attention to errors by means of a font attribute, e.g., underline, italics, color, highlighting, etc., the designated words are uncontracted, and the remainder of the passage is contracted.

• Entire passages with unmarked intentional spelling errors are uncontracted.

Example

Example

Crossed Out Letters

• Words with crossed-out letters are uncontracted.– Show the word as spelled, without indicating the

crossed-out letters.– Repeat the word, and substitute a hyphen - (36) for

each letter.– Explain the use of the hyphen in a transcriber's note.

• Words with crossed out letters within a sentence.– Use same format but repeat the word enclosed in TN

symbols– Explain the use of the hyphen and TN symbols in a TN.

Examples

Examples cont.

Emphasized Letters in Grammar• Font attributes are ignored in braille when all capital letters

are emphasized in print. A transcriber's note is inserted to explain the emphasis.

• When only isolated letters are capitalized and emphasized:– Uncontract any words with emphasized letters; contract all

other words.– Use italics for emphasized letters. – End the italicized letter with the termination indicator (6, 3). – Place a hyphen after the termination indicator when a print

hyphen follows an emphasized letter.– A transcriber's note is inserted with basic information about

print capitalization.– Include the termination indicator on the Special Symbols page.

Example

Punctuation Marks

• Omit punctuation marks identified in the text followed by there print mark.

• Unidentified free standing punctuation marks with or without signs of enclosures or commas are preceded by a dot 4.

• TN is added to explain the use of the dot four.• When all punctuation is emphasized in print

add a TN to explain the emphasis and omit it from the punctuation marks.

Examples

Specific Punctuation Emphasized

• When all instances of a specific punctuation are emphasized, omit the emphasis and explain it in a TN.

• When isolated punctuation is emphasized, omit the emphasis and use an embedded TN immediately after the word to explain the emphasis.

Examples

Examples cont.

Linear Sentence Diagramming

• Font attributes are used to distinguish parts of speech and are terminated by the termination sign.

• Print symbols (i.e., slash or vertical bar) used to show different parts of a sentence are brailled using the appropriate symbols.

• Words enclosed in shapes which are used to distinguish parts of speech are brailled using shape indicators and are terminated by the termination indicator.– Brailled in a 1/3 list format– Spaced as they appear in print

Examples

Spatial Sentence Diagramming• Spatial material is preceded and followed by a blank

line.• Follow print for placement and direction of arrows

placed above or below sentences.• Symbols start above or below the first letter of the

word, or the number indicator of a number. • Keep words or phrases between which an arrow shows

a relationship are on a single braille line.• Move part of the sentence to a new line to keep the

relationship intact.• When they won’t fit on one line. Explain the arrow’s

relationship in a transcriber's note.

Example

Example cont.